Turbine locomotive



May a, 1923.

N. JOHNSON TUBBI NE LOCOMOTIVE May 8, 1923.

N. JOHNSON TURBINE LOCOMOTIVE Filed March 1 1922 s'smm-smu 2 mi /26:55 M Mm.

May 8, 1923.

N JOHNSON TURBINE 'LOCOMOTIVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 d March 1922 v Patented may 8,1923.

WNW

'nms JOHNSON, or onrcaoo, more.

rename rocono'rwn;

Application filed march 15, 1922. flerlalflormflfid.

Be it known that I, Nuns J OHNSON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Turbine Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to turbine locomotives and utilizes the turbine construction disclosed in ap licants copending applica- 0. 533,278, filed Feb. 1, 1922..

tion for Patent The purpose of the present invention is to obtain more power, speed and safety in lo comoti-ves than is possible with the reciprocating engines which alternately deliver power strokes on opposite sides of the engine. It is also the object of the invention to attain a more efiective balance and even application of'power throughout the locomotive and to lower the center of gravity of the locomotive A further purpose of the invention is to'avoid the necessity of couplingrods between the driving wheels and to generally simplify the construction of locomotives.

These objects are accomplished by the locomotive illustrated in. the accompanying drawin$, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a locomotive frame equipped with a plurality ofdriving axles and turbine units mounted thereon but with the boiler and other usual constructions mounted on the frame omitted.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line 2+2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional detail taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4 and illustrating the hollow drive shafts or axles and the turbine units concentric therewith.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail of part of. the valve operating mechanism.

In its general features the locomotive to driven by reaction of the steam Due: to thisv low .ity there is less danger of excess lateral axles are preferably hollow and serve to conduct the steam to the rotor of each turbine and these rotors in imping ing u n the stationary buckets. The profor form. of turbine is that described in applicants copending ent above mentioned.

With the ar'rangement as described the center ofgravity of the locomotive is lowered from that normally occurring with locomotives of the reciprocating engine type.

point of thecenter of gravswaying of the engine and also due to the fact that'the powereis uniformly applied upon all of thedrive shafts, there is less tendency for the engine to rock as is the case when the power strokes occuralternate- 1y at two sides of the'engine asin locomotives of the reciprocating engine type. Due to this arran ement the'ra-ils may be higher since wit "ordinary locomotives v the height of the rails is limited by. the swaying of the locomotive and the leverage which it has through fastening means thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the frame 1, shown as of rectangular form, is provided with cross beams 2 securely tying the .two sides of the frame together. Journaled within this frame are the hollow shafts 3, the bearings 4 for these shafts being preferably located outside of the traction wheels 5 in order that these radiate heat passing along the shafts 3 from the turbine units 6 and thus guard the bearings against excessive heat.

The turbine units 6v are arranged in stagapplication for p atwheels may absorb and are designed to be the rails in loosening the gered relation with each other from end to end of the locomotive as shown in Figure l and each of these units consists of a station and a rotor 10 having two sets of oppositely disposed nozzles 11 and 12 for projecting the steam into the buckets of the stationary casing. The nozzles 11 and 12 communicate with radial conduits 13 and 14 in the rotors and steam is supplied to these radial conduits throu h the hollow shafts 3. The ports 15 and 16 for the radial conduits are controlled by valves 17 slidably-i mounted within the shafts 3 to cover either of the said ports-l5 0'1 16 and therebyjcontrol the did direction of rotation of the rotore'w. These tion or rotation left and thus adjustin valves are each rigid with a rod 18 extending axiall alonfl each shaft 3 and tied together outsi e of t ese shafts by the longitudinal rods 19. The rods 19 are also connected by the transverse rods 20 which are supported at the lower ends of arms 21 fast to a longitudinal shaft 22 having bearings 23 in the engine frame. By rocking the shaft 22 by means of a handle 24 thereon the valve supporting rods may be shifted from side to side and thus position the valves 17 and simultaneously control the direction of rotation of the rotors 10. Steam, preferably superheated up to 600 or more is admitted to the hollow shaft 3 at the front of the locomotive through the inlet conduit 25 which communicates with a stationary casing 26 surrounding this shaft. From the interior of the casing 226 the steam passes through radial ports 27 in a strengthening boss 28 surroundin the shaft and into the shaft and then into the rotor. The steam then passes from the first turbine unit to the next through a conduit 29 which likewise delivers the steam through a stationary casing 26 into the next hol ow shaft 3. it leaves the turbine unit on this shaft through a similar connection to the next and finally is delivered to the stack by a conduit 30 at the opposite end of the locomotive.

In the operation of the locomotive it is assumed that the usual throttle controls the passage of steam to the inlet conduit 25 leading to the first turbine unit. The direcof the turbine is controlled handle 2% to the right or g the valves 17 to admit steam either into the ports 15 or 16. The steam passes in succession through the different turbines and thus power is applied to all of the traction wheel shafts. The arrangeme'nt of staggered rotors here disclosed not only provides for an equal distribution of work to the locomotive supporting wheels but also serves to edectively balance the entire locomotive and keep the center of gravity low. This balanced arrangement and uniform a plication of power at all times to the whee s on both sides of the locomotives avoids undue racking of the structure and therehy increase its life and renders the locomotive safer than the arrangements now generally in use.

by rocking the prising a frame,

intense Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departin from the spirit of this invention as define by the following claims.

l claim:

1. A locomotive of the class described coma plurality of horizontally disposed hollow drive shafts iournaled in said frame, traction wheels rigid with said shafts, a turbine unit concentric with each shaft and having a rotor rigid thereon, and

means for delivering steam to each of said turbine units through said hollow drive shafts.

2. A. locomotive of the class described comprising a frame, a plurality of horizontally disposed hollow drive shafts iour= naled in sald frame, traction wheels rigid with said shafts, a turbine unit concentric with each shaft and having a rotor rigid thereon, and means for delivering steam in succession to each of said turbine units through one drive shaft and then from the turbine thereon to the next drive shaft.

3. A. locomotive of the class described comprising a pluralit of drive shafts each having traction whee s and a turbine rotor rigid and concentric therewith, a rigid'stator concentric with each rotor, said stators and rotors being arranged to coact for either forward or reverse driving, and a valve for each turbine unit for controlling its direc= tion of rotation, and means for simultana ously adjusting all of said valves.

4. A. locomotive of the classdescribed comprising a plurality of horizontal hollow drive shafts, traction wheels rigid with said drive shafts, a turbine unit mounted concentric with each drive shaft and having a rotor rigid with its respective drive shaft, means for delivering steam to said shafts, forward and reverse ports in said hollow drive shafts communicating with said turbine units, valves slidable in said hollow drive shafts to cover either the forward or reverse ports, and means for simultaneously adjusting all of-said valves. 19Sgned at Chicago this 13th day of llilarch NELS JtlHNSGlN.

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